Hooded Thief
by Sakura 8D
Summary: It's a hard job, you know... Being who I am... Having to save people... Does anyone know my story? Nope... Being a superhero isn't all great. Not when you're a teenager that is. Rated T. SasuSaku, with other minor pairings.
1. What is Hidden

_**Disclaimer**__**: I do not own Naruto. Doih.**_

Hooded Thief

~Chapter 1: What is Hidden~

A black-haired boy, laying on the rooftop of the school, sighed and opened hi eyes as he heard the lunch bell ring.

Sitting up, he scratched the back of his head and yawned.

The teen slowly stood up.

"Naruto, get up, we have to go to class," he stated quietly, nudging his best friend who was still asleep.

"Blehh…" he mumbled, turning to his side, "I dun wanna…"

"Fine. Just stay here then."

"Agh, fine Sasuke. Fine."

Naruto sleepily stood up.

The Uchiha walked over to the fencing around the roof.

"No stairs today?" he asked as Sasuke put his hands together in the form of a triangle against it and, at first carefully, then speeding up, expanding it.

Black emptiness appeared, swirling and pulsing around the edges.

"Nah, I'm too lazy. This is quicker."

"O~ok!"

Cautiously, Naruto walked up next to Sasuke, and together, they stepped in.

The dark hole closed behind them and turned into a spark of light that whisked up into the blue sky.

-In the School-

Sakura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she pulled out a notebook from her backpack.

She scribbled something down, then, scratching her head, reread what was already written on the page.

It's been almost a year now.

Ever since the strange "Hooded Thief" came around, Sakura has been keeping this sort of journal.

Whenever she heard rumors at school or information on the news concerning him, she would record it in this notebook.

Of course, by now it felt just plain silly, but it was interesting, at least, to see how much has changed.

Sakura looked over her notes.

Probably between the ages of 18 and 26 (though she predicted on the younger side), seems to possess strange powers (who knows how that even happen…), and even what he does.

They're mostly random things: saving old women from robbers, getting people out of fires, and even stopping a bank robbery.

It's almost shocking how much crime goes on in this city.

The teenager looked out the window at the blue sky.

They say the Hooded Thief's appearances start out with this spark or star traveling around the area…

"_Ah, well…"_ Sakura thought as she closed the notebook and yawned. _"I wonder when we'll see him next…"_

-Inside the Warp-

Sasuke and Naruto were floating around in the blackness, taking a break from life for a bit.

Time slowed down in the warp; they had all the time in the world.

Naruto turned to his friend.

"So! When do I get to go out and start helping you?" he asked, putting a hand under his chin.

Although there was no direction or orientation, nothing to lean again, the two friends were laying down.

"I don't know. Personally, I don't think you're really ready. Your jumping aim is-"

"Aww, come on! It's been like months! How much more ready can I be?" he complained, "The Hooded Thief needs a sidekick!"

Sasuke sighed and turned to his side.

"I know, I know. I've been having more close-calls lately…"

The friend shrugged.

He "stood up."

"We'll start setting up your first appearance. Does that sound good to you?"

Naruto also "stood," Then spun around in the emptiness.

"Finally!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah…"

Sasuke closed his eyes and held his hand out, causing the blackness to suddenly have form, have volume, which opened up to light

The spark attached itself to the outside wall of the gym and expanded into the portal hole.

The pair jumped out, crouching on the ground as they made sure no one was around.

The Uchiha stood up straight and fixed up his school uniform.

"Let's go."

Naruto followed behind.

-Later That Day = In the Forest-

The soon-to-be sidekick walked up to the fence surrounding the privately-owned land.

The forest came up straight against it.

Naruto threw his backpack over before carefully climbing up it.

He walked between the trees, which started becoming denser.

Finally, he came along a clearing, one large tree dominating the center.

Naruto walked around the tree once and then put his hand against the trunk.

After about ten seconds, a portal hole appeared under him.

However, this warp was different.

Instead of being black and empty, it showed a brightly-lit room from the top.

The teen started falling.

He landed on a mattress, collapsing when his feet met the mat.

Naruto cursed as this happen.

After a few moments of laying there, he stood up.

Sasuke was staring calmly from behind the countertop.

A cooking book laid open in front of him.

"Damn it, I was almost sure I would make that landing!" the friend exclaimed as he dropped his bag on the couch and took a seat on the stool next to the countertop.

"Told you… You need more practice…"

"Shut up!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked away, placing a hand under his chin.

The Uchiha shrugged and started cooking.

"What're you making?" he asked.

"Spaghetti. I'm too lazy today…"

Naruto shrugged.

"Works for me!"

-In the Haruno House-

Sakura walked down the stairs and into the living room in her pajamas.

She jumped onto the couch, grabbing the remote.

The news was on.

"_Breaking news: Hooded Thief Hoax…"_

Instantly, Sakura jumped into a sitting position.

"_A twenty-year-old tried to rob a restaurant today, claiming to be the infamous 'Hooded Thief', but he had a problem; where are the black wings when you need them? Needless to say the police caught him after a short chase…"_

Sakura grinned.

The fakes were always caught.

The real one never was.

She continued watching.

"_For those who don't know, a little bit of history about the Hooded Thief. He first appeared about a year ago when he saved n old woman, who mistakenly accused him of being the 'hooded thief' who was attacking her. No one knows just who this hero is, or how he got these strange powers. By 'powers', we mean the straight black wings that seem to appear at will form his back, and also this strange spark of light. Little is actually known about him, which leads to a lot of controversy among the people of the city…"_

"HAHA!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at the news lady on the screen.

Controversy was pointless.

So many people are against his very existence, saying that he shouldn't be allowed on the streets.

"People are so weird, not being grateful to him, just wanting to put him in jail. What would they try him for? Disturbing the peace? Pfft…" the girl said to no on in particular, seeing as no on was home anyway.

She stood and grabbed the remote, turning the T.V. off just as the woman said, _"We have reason to believe there are more like the 'Hooded Thief', with strange powers and so forth, so the appearance of a sidekick isn't unlikely-"_ CLICK!

-At the Same Time = the Lair-

Naruto and Sasuke were also watching the news.

"…_so the appearance of a sidekick isn't unlikely, especially with how busy this so-called hero is getting. One would believe the crime level would go down, but it seems now criminals are more determined than ever to break the law and have the glory of getting away with it, even with the thief around…"_

Naruto jumped up, pointing accusingly at his partner.

"See! Even the newspeople who don't know I exist agree with me!"

The Uchiha grinned at his statement and pulled the teen back into his chair.

"Finish eating, and don't chew with your mouth open. It's disgusting."

Naruto glared, but obeyed.

The news continued listing the Hooded Thief's recent achievements.

"Oh, just turn it off already. I already know what I've done…"

He stood with his now-empty plate and placed it in the sink.

The other took the remote and started flipping channels, pausing when he found Tom and Jerry.

"This good for you, Thief?" Naruto called after Sasuke, who was walking towards his bedroom.

"Fine, whatever, just lower the volume…"

And so he did.


	2. Life

~Chapter 2: Life~

Sasuke and Naruto walked into the classroom and took their seats, the former in front of Sakura and the latter behind her.

The Uchiha rested his arm on her desk, staring at her as she wrote in her journal.

"What're you doing?" Naruto asked.

He looked over her shoulder.

As soon as she realized her two friends arrived, she quickly closed her notebook.

Her information-gathering hobby was a secret between her and her closest friends.

She wanted to tell her two best guy-friends, but she was afraid they'd think she's weird and ditch her.

She cleared her throat.

"It's nothing…" Sakura whispered, running a hand through her hair.

"Don't worry, Saku, if you like writing porn, we won't judge. In fact, I would be more than happy to read them for you-"

Sasuke reached over and whacked the idiot's head.

"God, if she doesn't want to say, then she doesn't want to say. Don't make things awkward, baka…"

The girl blushed and looked away.

She always loved the arguments between these two because they were hilarious, but seeing as it was about her this time, she felt self-conscious.

"Geez, violent much! I'm not making things awkward, I'm just letting our good friend know that I am here for her…" Naruto continued.

The other boy simply rolled his eyes and said, "Just drop it, baka."

Sasuke already knew what the notebook was about.

He had found it once and, recognizing it was Sakura's, thought he would be allowed to read it.

But of course, she never found out.

The teacher entered the room and the school bell rang, signifying the start of class.

-Later = Lunchtime-

The pair made their way up the stairs to the school's roof.

Although normally they would be laughing and teasing, today they were silent, serious.

"I don't think this is a very good idea, leaving during the day. What if you don't get back in time for class? What will I tell the teacher?" Naruto asked worriedly.

He opened the door to the roof.

"Relax, I'm sure you'll come up with something. Chances are I'll be back anyway."

Sasuke opened the portal hole.

I'll be back soon, geez…"

And he disappeared.

His friend stood nervously, eventually pacing around the area.

-In the Warp-

The Uchiha quickly changed out of his school uniform, pulling on his black underclothes that were floating around in the emptiness.

The black uniform he wore when he was the Hooded Thief nearly blended in with the dark, along with the mask.

It was one piece, the front zipping up diagonally.

As he pulled on his mask, the portal hole opened revealing the downtown, an apartment building on fire.

-At the Same Time = The Front of the School-

Sakura sat with her lunch on her lap, her friends surrounding her on the front steps of the school.

"Ino, how's the math test so far?" one of the other girls asked.

Ino, Hinata, Tenten…

The best three friends any girl can have.

They were the only ones who actually knew everything about Sakura, even though Sasuke and Naruto were her best friends.

The girl sighed and turned her face to the sky, content and relaxed.

She closed her eyes for a moment, just a moment, and when they opened again, her breath was caught in her throat.

A small spark of light darted from the school rooftop.

It quickly ran over the trees to the city.

A small spark of light…

The symbol of the Hooded Thief.

At our school?

"Guys! Look!" Sakura exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and pointed towards the star just before it disappeared.

"Did you see that?"

All of the girls looked up, just in time to see the tail fading away.

Ino stood.

"Was that the… the… the thing? Of the Hooded Thief's?" she asked, going on her tippy-toes to see if she could see more.

"Yeah, and it came from the roof…"

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

Suspicion filled her mind.

"I'm gonna run up to the roof real quick. Maybe there's someone up there."

Ino nodded and sat down again on the steps.

The girl ran up the stairs and into the school.

After three flights, she reached the roof, swinging the door open loudly.

Naruto jumped to his feet.

He had been sitting in the shade, still worried about Sasuke.

Quickly, the boy sent him a message.

"_Sasuke! Sakura's up here for some reason. I'll try to get rid of her, but be careful when you're coming back…"_

Moments later, a response came.

"_Ok, try to get rid of her quick, I'm almost done here… By the way, next time, you are so coming to help me…"_

Naruto grinned, but it changed to a frown when the girl noticed him.

"Sakura, what're you doing up here?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

"I should be asking you the same thing…"

Sakura walked up to him.

She seemed angry, a frown on her face and the two wrinkles between her eyebrows appearing.

"Did you see the spark?"

Naruto jumped in both surprise and shock.

"Spark? What spark? Do you mean the Hooded Thief?"

However, she wasn't fooled; instead her eyes narrowed more.

With her hands on her hips, she began.

"Naruto, you and Sasuke have been hiding something. From me. Me! I thought we were all best friends, that we told each other everything," she paused, realizing the notebook was something she kept from them, but she shook it off and continued. "And like a year ago, you guys just… just…! Agh! I don't know! What's going on, because I can't take it anymore!"

There was silence.

Naruto couldn't meet her stare, and kept his head down.

"To be honest…" she added quietly, "when you guys started eating lunch up here…" A pause. "Ino said you guys must be gay."

Immediately, Naruto's mouth opened wide.

At first, he was speechless, but then he started gagging at her.

"SAKURA! HOW COULD YOU THINK THAT! YOU KNOW WE'RE NOT LIKE THAT! EWWWWWWW!"

He covered his eyes and hit his head against the wall.

"Get the image out of my head! AHH!"

Sakura took a step back and put her hands up in front of her.

"Hey there! I never said I believed her! But if that's not what you guys are hiding, then what is?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and frowned.

"I'm sorry, Saku… I wish there was something I could do, but… I mean… You're the last person I'd ever want to lie to…"

The girl sighed.

"Anyway, since you were up here, did you happen to see where the spark just went?"

He looked at her sadly.

"Ok… so I kinda lied. I was on the third floor when I heard something on the roof and saw the spark, so I came up to see if I would find someone or something…"

Sakura stared, tilting her head with a frown on her face.

"Why would you lie about that…?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "I guess I was afraid you'd think I was involved… or thought you caught me doing something, I don't know… But anyway, the spark went straight to the downtown. From the smoke, we can assume there's another fire…"

She took a few steps forward and put a hand on the fence.

There were a few moments of silence.

Naruto sighed.

He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight, comforting hug.

"Saku… you know… I would never willingly lie to you… I love you so much, like a sister, and I'm the one who's supposed to be protecting you, not hurting you… And I mean… you have trouble telling people who are close to you and love you certain things… you find them embarrassing or weird… and you get a little worried that… maybe if they knew… they'd love you less… that things will change…"

Sakura said nothing, only thought of her notebook.

He went on, "Don't worry though. We're going to tell you, once we get the courage… we don't want to shock you either…"

He paused.

"Oh God, I made it sound like we're gay again, aghhh…"

This statement made Sakura giggle.

"We're not gay, damn it, ok? For the love of all that is good and decent, never think or ask us that again!"

The girl turned around and hugged her friend tightly.

"Ok," she said, "I trust you. I'll be patient. But don't think I won't bother you a little!"

She headed for the door.

Naruto laughed.

"I'm gonna go down and finish my lunch. If you see anything else, will you tell me?"

She turned back for a moment, half way out the door.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, grinning.

His arms went up behind his head as he stretched.

"I'll see you in class!"

"Bye!"

The door closed behind her.

Naruto's grin quickly vanished now replaced with a saddened frown.

He sent Sasuke a message.

"_I hate lying to Sakura… Anyway, coast is clear, you almost done?"_

A response came moments later.

"_Yeah, I'm wrapping it up here, and I'll be back in just a few minutes. What happen though?"_

Naruto paused.

"_I'll explain when you get back. Just hurry."_

-Downtown Konoha-

Sasuke jumped from room to room in the burning apartment building.

Flames and debris were everywhere.

Smoke was starting to make breathing hard.

The Hooded Thief moved to the next room.

After convincing the firefighters to explain the situation, he found out there was only one person left inside: a little girl.

He jumped over a burning chair that blocked the doorway.

"Hey!" the boy exclaimed, panting, "Is anyone in here? Anyone?"

He rushed into what was once a living room.

As he paused, sobbing quietly filled the room.

The Hooded Thief advanced slowly.

He crouched down to find the little girl hugging her pet cat.

Tears were running down her face and she gasped when she saw him.

"Hey there, love. I'm here to get you out."

Sasuke pulled her from under the table and picked her up, the cat hidden between them.

He took a step forward, realizing too late that the floor had weakened there.

The two came crashing through.

The landing was graceful enough, but not without numerous cuts and bruises for each.

Shouts were heard from the window.

"Hood! Hood!" one man's voice called.

Sasuke tightened his grip around the girl and approached the opening.

"Thief!" another voice exclaimed.

Looking down, he found two police officers standing in front of a forming crowd.

"There's a gas leak! The building's gonna blow! You gotta get out NOW!"

Sasuke's breath felt caught in his throat.

He took a step back and coughed.

He pulled up the girl again, fixing his grip.

"Listen…" he began, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "We're short on time… and we need to get out… this is the third floor…"

He paused.

"Do you trust me?"

The girl nodded.

Hood hugged her hard.

Suddenly, noise were heard from the outside of the room.

The boy cursed, turned to the window and jumped.

He felt the explosion following behind him, the gasp of the crowd, the tensing of the girl's body in his arms.

However, his mind felt blank.

Moments later, he realized he was laying on the grass, his leg muscles sore and his back numb.

A piercing stab of pain came from his side.

A police officer leaned over him; another stood behind him.

Sasuke felt himself groan.

A fuzziness covered his eyes.

"Hood! Hood!" the one crouching said.

This man…

He was his friend…

Oh…

What was his name…

Uh… Rotsu…

Yes, that's right, Rotsu.

Hood turned to the other man.

He had a tense frown on his face.

Right.

That one isn't as supportive.

Haku.

That bastard.

Sasuke sat up, grimacing at the stab of pain.

The two officers made him lay back down.

"Where's the girl?" was the first thing he said once the pain subsided a bit.

Rotsu nodded towards an ambulance, where the girl was sitting on the edge with the cat beside her, generally unharmed.

He sighed in relief.

"How's my side?"

His hand moved to grip it.

"Umm…" the man started, scratching his head, "It's not bleeding, and it doesn't look like anything is broken. Looks like it's just a bruise, probably from the girl hitting you in the landing."

"Ahh…"

Hood closed his eyes and tried to relax.

He heard voices talking to his secret friends.  
When they weren't looking, the portal was opened and the boy fell in, leaving the fire scene behind.

-Rooftop at School-

Naruto paced back and forth.

There were five minutes left to lunch.

"_Come on buddy…"_ he messaged to his friend.

Just at that moment, the warp opened, Sasuke stumbling out, still in his Hooded Thief uniform.

The teen jumped forward.

"Sasuke! Are you ok?"

Naruto helped him sit up from where he had fallen on the floor.

"I'm exhausted…" the Uchiha responded as he sighed sleepily, "I just want to sleep…"

"No, no, no. You need to get dressed."

He pulled the boy up to his feet.

"We need to get to class."

"Ehh…"

Sasuke walked back into the warp with a sigh.

A minute later, he reappeared in his school uniform.

"Fine. Let's go."

They started down the stairs.

Naruto glanced around and, when he noted no one was nearby, started speaking, "Sasuke, Sakura came up to the roof…"

"So I've heard," the boy responded, tucking in his shirt, "What happen?"

"Oh… well… First of all, she thought we were gay, and-"

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks and stared forward with a blank expression.

"I KNOW! But don't worry, I set her straight. Anyway, she was saying how we're keeping something from her, and I don't know… I'm starting to feel bad…"

They were silent as they walked into the empty classroom.

"Yeah… we need to tell her…"

Sasuke said nothing, but nodded.

They sat down at their desks.

"… how could she think we're gay?" the Uchiha exclaimed a few minutes later.

"I KNOW! But sadly, it adds up…"

He shook his head and gagged.

"Anyway… I think we should wait a little to tell her," Sasuke continued, taking out his water bottle and taking a sip.

Before Naruto could open his mouth to complain, his friend explained, "You need to make your appearance and have the media used to having another mystery hero."

Uzumaki frowned.

"Why would you wait? Wouldn't she feel better, maybe grateful, knowing the secret?"

He shook his head.

"If we tell her now, we'll give her the opportunity to stop us. So long as we're both in and well-known, she won't be able to get us out."

The other was silent, but understood.

-Konoha Downtown-

Rotsu and Haku were leaning against their police car, talking.

The building fire was pretty much out, and no one got hurt.

It was quite an achievement.

They were watching a news reporter and her cameraman.

"According to witnesses, the Hooded Thief appeared just twenty minutes ago when the fire was still going strong. He entered the building looking for a five-year-old girl who was still inside. The firefighters then realized the fire was caused by a gas leak in the empty side of the building, and there was going to be an explosion. The Hooded Thief jumped out the window just in time, falling from the third floor. Here is a quick slip of what happen…"

At this moment, the police chief walked up to the two cops.

"Looks like we have control over here. You two are dismissed."

Rotsu nodded and said, "Thank you, sir. We'll see you tomorrow."

The chief left and they climbed into the car.

After a few minutes, he spoke.

"Haku, have you thought about what I talked to you about…?"

There was a pause.

"…yes…"

Another pause.

"What do you think…?"

Haku sighed.

"I think it's the stupidest plan I've ever heard of in my entire life and that it's gonna get us both arrested…"

Silence…

"…so you in…?"

He sighed.

"Yeah, I'm in."


	3. Why

~Chapter 3: Why~

Naruto watched, bored, as Sakura and Ino passed notes.

Having built up curiosity, he scribbled something down on the top of the paper and nudged Sakura's back, causing her to turn around.

He pointed to the writing.

"_What are you guys talking about?"_

Haruno grinned and wrote down her response.

"_How the Hooded Thief might have gotten his weird powers."_

The boy frowned and looked up at her curiously.

Not knowing she was talking to the future sidekick, she only stuck her tongue out and turned back to the front of the room.

But her comment got him thinking.

"_Hey Sasuke…"_ he messaged to his friend.

"_Oi, baka, not in class… I'm trying to pay attention…"_

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"_Don't lie, I see you doodling. Anyway, see the notes Saku and her friend are passing back and forth?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Guess who they're talking about?"_

There was a moment of silence before a response came.

"_Assumingly the Hooded Thief…"_

Uzumaki grinned.

"_Yep! They're talking about how he might have gotten his powers. It just got me thinking, is all. You remember that crazy week, don't you…?"_

"_How could I forget…?"_

-7 Years Earlier – Sasuke's Old House, Basement-

It was morning.

A sad morning.

Sure, the sun was shining.

Sure, it was spring.

Sure, the birds were singing, and the flowers were blooming, and there wasn't a cloud in the blue, blue sky.

But it was a sad day.

A gloomy day.

For Sasuke and his adopted brother.

The Uchiha crouched down for a moment, observing the scene before him.

His father's chemistry lab – he was a chemist, after all – was packed away in boxes, being donated to a nearby university.

He remembered the errands his mother used to send him on; usually coming down here to give his father the mail.

The image was still clear in his mind… his father, dressed in his lab coat, slowly pouring one chemical over another in a vial.

On his eighth birthday, Sasuke was allowed to do his first experiment.

The boy stood up straight.

He sighed, willing himself to hold back his tears.

He looked at the door as he heard approaching footsteps.

Naruto appeared.

"Hey…" he said slowly, coming closer to his friend, "You're looking pretty tired…"

Sasuke nodded as he rubbed his eyes.

"You too…"

There was a moment of silence before Naruto continued, "The university professor is here for the equipment. I figured I'd come help you bring them up…"

The other cleared his throat.

"Oh, yeah, thanks…"

The Uchiha walked up to the table and picked up the box, passing it to Naruto; it jingled, slightly.

"I'll get this one…"

He went to the one under a shelf of chemicals.

The professor had told them not to touch them; they were hazardous and he would take care of them himself.

However, as Sasuke bent down and lifted the box, he accidentally bumped his head against it.

The shelf shifted…

It suddenly became heavy and it started slipping towards the floor.

The boy's eyes widened, and he began exclaimed, "No…!"

The box fell down to the side, the contents tumbling down.

He collapsed as the crashes echoed in the room.

Sasuke felt faint, first thinking the shelf gave him a concussion.

He heard screaming; _HE_ was screaming!

Naruto was half-way up the stairs when he heard the crashes and the screams.

He set the box down and ran back to find his friend laying on the ground.

He was covered in chemicals and yelling his lungs out.

The boy's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Oh my God, SASUKE!"

He sprinted to him, helping the Uchiha sit up.

He was gripping his eyes.

"Oh my God, oh my God, what happen? What's going on? Sasuke!"

But he couldn't bring himself to say anything; all he could do is scream.

Naruto's hands and legs started burning, and he realized he was crouching in the chemicals.

"PROFESSOR!"

The word repeated over and over in Sasuke's mind.

Slowly, he put his forehead against the floor as the world around him faded away…

-The Next Day = The Hospital-

Sasuke woke with a start, and found himself staring at black nothingness.

He felt his fingers twitch slightly and the tape on his face when he tried to move his head.

"_Agh..."_ he thought slowly.

His mind was still foggy.

"_It's one of those… air… things… oh God, what happen…"_

The Uchiha felt himself cough.

Carefully, he reached up to remove the tape, but failed, still being extremely weak.

His fingers moved up slightly to find bandages where his eyes should be.

Confusion filled him.

As his hearing became sharper, the beeping of the heart monitor filled the room.

Suddenly, Sasuke heard someone shifting.

"Sasuke…?" a raspy voice asked.

"Naruto…" he tried to respond, though it was all muffled.

"Oh my God… Sasuke… Heh, you should see yourself… laying in a hospital bed, all bandaged up… you look ridiculous…"

The boy was trying to tease him, but it sounded more like he was crying.

"Um… Sasuke…" he continued when he saw his friend turn his head towards him, "Uh… I-I… don't know how… to tell you this but…"

He paused when a cough made its way out.

"You're… legally… blind…"

Immediately, the Uchiha reacted.

He started swinging his arms and legs around, hitting anything and everything he could.

The blanket tangled around his feet.

He tore off the censors attached to his chest that connected to the heart monitor, causing a loud beep to fill the room.

"No! Sasuke! Be careful! You're gonna be ok, please calm down!" Naruto pleaded before he finally just yelled for the nurses.

All he could do was scream.

He was in such shock; this couldn't be happening!

Not to him!

Not to anyone he knew!

Not to anyone at all…

Finally, the nurses managed to pin him down.

They took off the oxygen support, which changed his shrieks into curses.

They held him down just long enough to give him a shot.

Sasuke fainted moments later.

-The Next Day-

The boy sat in bed, silent but calm.

All the wires and equipment from the day before were no longer needed, only the IV to give the pain killers.

They dulled away the pains from his burns, but did nothing for the one in his heart.

He could only sit, and stare at the darkness.

Young Sakura sat next to him on the bed, and she quietly stroked his hand.

Naruto was in the chair next to her.

She cut another piece from the apple and handed it to him.

He had been dismissed from the hospital that morning, but he stayed behind to visit Sasuke with her.

"So, Naruto, are you getting better at walking?"

The Uchiha could just hear his friend's insane grinning.

"Heck yes! Soon, I'll be able to walk without the crutches!"

Towards the end, he added a little sing-song melody to his words.

Sasuke smiled a little, feeling her hand tighten around his after he did.

That was when a knock was heard against the door.

"Come in," Sakura said.

The doctor entered, approaching the bed.

"Hello there, Sasuke. How are you feeling?" she said, smiling and taking the girl's place on the bed.

He didn't answer.

"Well… I'm going to take a look at your eyes. If all goes well, you'll be allowed to go home later today!"

She tried to sound happy and cheerful, but didn't affect him at all.

The doctor looked at the other two children, who shook their heads.

Sakura put her hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed it.

He looked up at her with sadness.

The woman carefully untied the bandages around his head.

"Now… open your eyes…"

Slowly, he did, but there was nothing on the other side to see; there was only black.

The doctor took out a small flashlight and shined the light in his eyes.

He didn't even twitch.

Sakura could see her bite her lip, which made her tense.

She stood.

"Unfortunately, it looks like you're blind. It's possible that after some rest and healing, you'll recover your eyesight, thought it would be bad eyesight… um… but… even that chance is… slim…"

Sasuke said nothing.

He already knew this; he knew he would be sightless.

He merely responded, "Thank you Doctor. When can I leave?"

His voice was unintentionally cold.

She stood.

"Tonight. And you'll be able to go back to school either tomorrow or the day after…"

He listened as she scribbled something down, tore it out of her notepad, and handed it to Sakura.

"This is a prescription for his painkillers. When he's dismissed at six, give it to the nurse at the check-out desk and she'll give you his medicine."

The girl nodded.

She felt so helpless, being only seven years old and incapable of doing much more.

At least with this, she could have some input on Sasuke's recovery.

After the doctor left, Naruto stood up and grabbed his crutches.

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly, getting up to aid him.

"Need to go to the bathroom. Just get me to the door and the nurses will help me from there." In a lower voice, he added, "I don't want him left alone…"

She nodded in agreement and returned to her seat when he was gone.

The Uchiha slowly slouched in his bed, turning to his side.

After a few moments of silence, he reached out.

When his friend didn't take it, he whispered, "…Saku…"

She touched his hand.

Carefully, he pulled her towards him.

"What's wrong, Sasu?" she responded, equally quiet.

"…will you… lay down… with me…"

The Haruno felt so upset.

Guilt weighed heavily on her shoulders; her heart was burdened with helplessness.

So she lied down next to him and hugged him.

His body shook slightly as he sobbed, but all Sakura could do was rub his back and try to comfort him.

When he calmed a little, she said, "Don't be afraid… me and Naruto… we'll take good care of you…"

This sent him off on another round of crying that caused a few tears to fall out of her own eyes.

""Good… good, good care of you… I promise…"

-Two Days Later = Morning-

The nurse walked into Sasuke's room and pulled the shades open.

The boy didn't stir until she exclaimed, "Come on now! Up, up, up! Your two friends are here to take you to school!"

His eyes opened and he sat up.

"Come on…"

The Uchiha's silent retaliation continued until Sakura walked in.

"Sasu, come on, it's time for school."

The moment he heard her voice, his arms went up to find her.

She smiled, helping him stand up.

After the boy got dressed and ate breakfast, he was led outside.

Sakura held his hand with one of her own, the other gripping his elbow.

Naruto waited on the sidewalk.

"Heyyy, Sasuke! How are you?" he exclaimed when he saw the two exit the house.

The nurse could be seen staring at them through the window of the door.

The Uchiha smiled and shrugged.

He felt better when he had his two friends around him.

Naruto was getting better little by little.

Both his legs and hands were burned by the chemicals.

He still needed the crutches to walk, but in a few more days, he'll be fine.

For now, all he needed help with was writing things down.

The three friends walked down the sidewalk toward their school.

Sasuke stumbled a bit, but the girl's strong grip kept him from falling.

Soon, they arrived.

Even though he couldn't see, he could tell people were staring.

It made him feel so uncomfortable, so unwelcome.

At that moment, he realized something rather important.

He squeezed Sakura's hand to get her attention.

"Hey Saku… how's school gonna work now? How am I gonna be able to do… anything?" the Uchiha asked quietly, sounding a little in despair.

"Ehh…" she began, "I think you're gonna get moved out of our class… put in a different one… so they can teach you that… code thing… so you can read… stuff, yeah."

Sasuke was quiet for a long time.

The girl quickly decided the topic was dropped.

-In Class = Just Before Lunch-

The school day so far had been quite boring for the boy.

As it turned out, the Konoha schools didn't have any other blind students, so they needed some time to find a new teacher.

And so, until they found one, he will be sitting here, listening to the lessons he couldn't understand.

The teacher sat down at her desk, saying, "Ok everyone, work on the assignment on the board. You can ask your classmates for help."

Sakura turned in her seat to face Naruto.

"Do you want to work together?" she asked enthusiastically.

As the other two were distracted, a boy from the back corner started walking towards the front.

He was a little tall for his age, his big stomach leading in the front.

The boy walked past Sasuke, and as he did, he pushed his books off the desk.

In a sarcastic voice, he stated, "Oh, soorrry!" and continued to the front of the class to sharpen his pencils.

The Uchiha's indifference turned to anger.

Sakura jumped up to pick the books up.

"Ignore him…" she whispered in his ear as she placed the novels on his desk, "He's just a grumpy old bully…"

And with that, the Haruno returned to her seat.

However, the peace didn't last long.

On the way back to his seat, the same boy knocked the books over again, saying in the same annoying voice, "Oh, soorrry!"

But this time, Sasuke had enough.

He was frustrated, he was tired, and he's been fighting with this classmate for years.

He's been patient long enough.

As the bully tried walking past, the boy stood up and pushed him against the wall, mere inches away from the open window.

The other students gasped and the teacher jumped to her feet.

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, half-standing up.

"Oi, calm down buddy," Naruto added.

The bully tried moving away, but the Uchiha was faster, catching him again and holding him against the wall.

"D-dude, calm d-down, i-it was j-just an accident…" he stuttered out, taking hold of Sasuke's wrists.

"No it wasn't!" was the response.

He could feel the teacher slowly approach him, so he had to make his speech quickly.

"C-come on… the w-window's like… right th-there…" he stuttered out again.

However, the Uchiha ignored him.

"How many times are you gonna do this, huh? Every time you pass me, you have to harass me in some stupid way! Well I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you, I'm sick of this harassment, I'm sick of my horrible luck, I'm sick of my life! I'm blind, and I'm alone, and I'm miserable, and all you can think about is adding more pain! Because apparently, I don't have enough in my life already!"

The bully stared frightened into the boy's eyes as he spoke.

Slowly, he noticed something changing.

"Y-your… eyes…" the boy whispered, making the other pause. Colors seemed to appear among the black and started swirling inside it.

"What?" Sasuke whispered back.

His breath got caught in his throat.

He just realized he was staring right at the bully's face.

"… oh my God…"

He let him go and took a step back.

The teacher immediately came between them, motioning to Sakura to stand.

The Uchiha felt weak in the knees as the girl put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on… I'll walk you to the clinic…" she said quietly, pulling him out the door.

At first, they were silent.

Sasuke merely stumbled along.

It was confusing to have his sight return so suddenly, especially since it was a bit blurry.

He stopped in his tracks.

"Agh…" the boy groaned, rubbing his eyes.

However, Sakura quickly jumped at him.

"No, Sasu! You're not supposed to rub your eyes," she whined, grabbing his wrists and forcing them away, "It's bad for them…"

She stopped when she found him staring right at her.

"S-Sasuke…?"

That's where reality finally hit.

His knees locked and he collapsed, taking the Haruno down with him.

"Sasuke!" she exclaimed in surprise, "Are you ok?"

Slowly, he looked up.

His hands gripped either side of her had.

"S-S… Sakura…"

"S-Sasuke…?" she responded.

"I-I…" he took a deep breath and let a few tears fall down his face, "I… can… I can see… I can see… I can see!"

"W-What…?"

Sasuke leaned forward, Sakura pulling him into a hug.

"I can see! Oh my God, I can see!"

The two sat there, sitting there, in the middle of the hallway, crying with both joy and sorrow.

-Present Day = Back At School-

Older Sasuke was staring out the window.

He sighed.

Looking at the clock, he found that class was almost done.

The boy ran a hand through his hair.

"_Naru…"_ he started, taking a pause,_ "…we really do need to tell her… we do…"_

Seconds later came a response.

"_I know, Sasu… I know… We will."_


End file.
